A new theoretical model for hexagonal ice, Ih(d), from first principles investigations

Abstract

Due to their great importance in science, technology, and the life sciences, water and ice have been extensively investigated over many years. In particular, hexagonal ice Ih has been of great interest since it is the most common form of ice, and several modifications, Ih(a), Ih(b) and Ih(c) are known, whose structural details are still under discussion. In this study, we present an alternative theoretical model, called Ih(d), for the hexagonal ice modification in space group P 6 3 / mmc (no. 194), based on first-principles calculations that have been performed using DFT-LDA, GGA-PBE, and hybrid B3LYP and PBE0 functionals.